


Through the Mist

by princesscimorene



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Age Difference, Animagus, BDSM, Blood Curses | Blood Malediction (Harry Potter), F/F, Female-Centric, Forbidden Love, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Sex, Magic, POV Female Character, Slow Burn, Teacher-Student Relationship, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:54:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26521732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princesscimorene/pseuds/princesscimorene
Summary: Daphne Greengrass returns to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to teach. Dominique Weasley returns for her seventh year. Lessons, exams, and graduation aren't the only things on her mind.
Relationships: Dominique Weasley/Daphne Greengrass
Kudos: 8





	Through the Mist

Daphne’s cloak whipped around her as she walked through the warm, tempestuous wind. It was her first year teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the term would begin soon, much to her dismay. While she loved to teach and was grateful to Headmaster McGonagall for the job, this would be a difficult, if not impossible, year to face feeling so alone. Despite the warm summer air, Daphne pulled her cloak tighter around her as she made her way from Hogsmeade up to the castle.

It was either a stroke of pure luck or she had unknowingly swallowed Felix Felicis in her coffee that morning, but Daphne didn’t pass a soul, living or otherwise, as she trudged across the grounds, through the castle, and down to the dungeons to her rooms. As Slytherin’s new Head of House, her rooms were slightly larger than those of her fellow professors, and, although confined to the dungeons, she had done what she could to give them a more personal touch. Her favorite thing about her new home at Hogwarts was the portrait hanging above her fireplace: three young witches stood smiling in the frame, their arms flung around one another as they talked and laughed uproariously. Gazing up at it a bit too long, Daphne nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a sharp knock at her door. Dropping her bag at her feet, she crossed the room to open the heavy wooden door. She came face-to-face with Minerva McGonagall.

“Minerva,” Daphne stood aside, welcoming the older witch inside, “what a surprise.”

“Hello, Daphne,” the other witch greeted. She looked more or less the same as Daphne had remembered, perhaps her hair was a bit more gray and the wrinkles at the edges of her eyes slightly more pronounced. Daphne imagined she probably looked a bit older herself after this past year. Minerva laid a thin, bony hand on her arm, her touch warm through the sheer sleeve of Daphne’s robes.

“How are you doing, dear?” Her sharp tone was softer than usual, her eyes gazing up at the taller woman with concern.

Daphne let out a sigh she hadn’t quite realized she was holding in, “I am…” she paused, “as to be expected.”

“You didn’t have to start so soon, Daphne,” Minerva scolded softly, “you could’ve taken some time until next term-“

Daphne cut her off, “I couldn’t wait until next term,” her voice lost it’s edge, “I couldn’t stay there any longer. I am grateful to be here, you know I enjoy this work. And I welcome the distraction.”

Minerva nodded curtly, in the way only she seemed to do without being cold.

“I understand, dear. Just… I am always here if you need me, remember that.”

Daphne nodded, her throat dry and eyes glassy. She turned away from the older woman, lighting a fire in the hearth with a flick of her wand. She did not fully embody all of the Slytherin traits, but she did have her pride. She would not allow anyone to see her cry.

“I will leave you to get settled,” Minerva spoke softly, crossing the room to the door once again. “Welcome to Hogwarts, Professor.”

* * *

When she awoke the next morning, Daphne felt as if she’d had a go with the Whomping Willow. Wearily opening her eyes, her gaze fell on the bottle of Firewhiskey atop her bedside table. Thoughts of the previous night came flooding back to her and she rolled over in her soft, green blankets to bury her face into her pillow. She lay there for a moment, staring into the darkness of her bedding before lifting herself up with a groan. Shuffling to the bathroom, she ran herself a bath. As the tub filled, she tiptoed barefooted across the icy dungeon floor to her tiny kitchen. Hogwarts’ house elves prepared the finest meals Daphne could ask for, but she still enjoyed having her own kitchen every once in awhile. She liked having the option of staying in, especially when things became too much to handle. Daphne put the kettle on with a nonverbal spell, the water boiling instantly. Pouring herself a cup of tea, she soon found herself submerged in the bath, surrounded by fragrant bubbles.

The first day of term had arrived. She sank lower into the warm water, her mind running through the activities to come. How much she has loved the Welcome Feast as a girl; now, in her 40th year, it was a chore. She slid down into the tub, closing her eyes as she immersed herself completely in the sudsy water.

* * *

Dominique felt the familiar butterflies come to life in her stomach as she caught a glimpse of the castle for the first time. The red locomotive chugged along the tracks, unfailing as ever, bringing her closer and closer to her favorite place on earth. She thought back to her 11th birthday, when her mother encouraged her to begin her education at Beauxbatons instead of Hogwarts a year later. Being that she turned 11 years old just weeks after the start of term and had to wait for the following year made her furious at the time, but she was grateful to have made that choice. She couldn’t imagine spending the last 7 years of her life anywhere else.

She drew her eyes away from the window when the compartment door slid open. Dominique’s best friend, Cassandra, stepped inside.

“Hey, Cassie!” Dominique’s cousin, Molly chirped, sitting the aisle opposite of her. She unwrapped a chocolate frog and popped it in her mouth, examining the card that came with it.

“Hello, Molly,” the older girl greeted, “who’d you get?”

Molly rolled her eyes and tossed the card onto the seat next to her, “Uncle Ronald, again.”

Dominique giggled, recalling in her mind’s eye how her uncle’s chest always seemed to puff up when he was reminded that he was on a chocolate frog card. Cassandra sank down onto the bench next to Dominique.

“How’re the Head Girl duties coming along?” Dominique asked, smiling broadly at her friend.

Dominique and Cassandra’s professors always compared the two friends to day and night. At first, they’d roll their eyes and scoff at the obvious metaphorical cop-out: Dominique’s red hair and fair skin contrasted wonderfully with Cassandra’s raven hair and caramel skin. Quickly, they grew to understand how spot on that juxtaposition really was. While both girls were sorted into Hufflepuff, they couldn’t be more different.

Cassandra was a natural-born leader and loved to be the center of attention. True to Hufflepuff nature, she was never cocky or boastful, but she certainly had every right to be. She was outspoken, confident, and seemingly talented at everything she put her mind to. It was no surprise she took on the role of Head Girl in their final year at Hogwarts.

Dominique preferred to stay in the shadows. There were a select few things she excelled at, and she had to work hard for them. Quiet in her own right, she loved to spend time with her small group of friends but was paralyzed with fear when speaking in front of large groups of people. She liked blending in, and she was good at it.

“I love being Head Girl! Your cousin James was throwing dungbombs into a compartment full of first year girls and I got to tell him off for it. I love telling people what to do,” Cassandra exaggerated a blissful sigh, making Dominique and Molly laugh.

“I swear,” Dominique rolled her eyes, “James and Albus are more trouble than they’re worth.”

“You’re telling me!” Molly piped up, “I had to live with them all summer while mum and dad were off in Thailand working on a Portkey case. As it turns out, local kids were knicking muggle tourists’ luggage and turning things into Portkeys so they’d wind up in Antartica in their swimming costumes.”

Cassandra couldn’t hold back her giggles, but Dominique just rolled her eyes, “Honestly, let’s hope Albus and James don’t find out about that- they don’t need any more ideas.”

Molly snorted, “Please. As if either of them could manage making a Portkey. I swear they’ve got one braincell between them.”

The Hogwarts Express suddenly slowed to a halt. Cassandra jumped up out of her seat so quickly she almost hit her head on the luggage rack above, “Shit! I’ve got to get back to my duties.”

Students were already running through the corridors and Cassandra rushed out of the compartment to try and reign them in, “Oi, you lot, stop shoving!”

Dominique chuckled to herself, grateful to be devoid of that responsibility. Her stomach rumbled beneath her robes and she stood, grabbing her bag off the luggage rack, eager for the feast.

* * *

Students chittered loudly, creating a small roar of voices throughout the Great Hall. Dominique settled into her seat at the Hufflepuff table, sandwiched between Molly and her oldest friend at Hogwarts, Alexander. They had met on the train in their first year and had grown close almost immediately. Aside from Cassandra, Dominique had never felt closer to anyone, even her own siblings. Instinctually turning to find him, Dominique’s eyes scanned the far end of the room for the Slytherin table until she spotted her little brother, Louis. In his fourth year at Hogwarts, he seemed happy as can be, roaring with laughter at his friend, Myles, as he attempted to balance his wand at the tip of his nose.

Her eyes flitted up to the High Table, scanning the familiar faces there. Her gaze stopped cold as she spotted a witch sitting at Headmaster McGonagall’s left hand, whom she had never seen before. She felt as if she couldn’t pull her eyes from the woman’s high cheekbones, chestnut hair, and stormy demeanor- even if she wanted to. She nudged Alexander with her elbow, “Do you know who that is, next to McGonagall?” She nodded up at the witch, her gaze only tearing away when Cassandra, finished with her Head Girl task of filing the new first years in for the sorting, joined them at the table. 

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Alexander responded, “She’s the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.”  
Dominique’s eyebrows knitted together, “What happened to Professor Gray? I liked his lessons.”

Alexander, “Not sure, but everyone knows that the position is cursed. No professor has lasted more than a year in almost three decades.” 

Cassandra rolled her eyes, “There’s no curse, Xander, don’t be absurd.”

Alexander smirked at her, “How else can you explain it, _Sandra_?” 

“Don’t call me that,“ Cassandra wailed, “you know I hate it.”

Alexander smiled cheekily up at her, “And you know you love me.”

Dominique barely noticed her friends’ banter, she couldn’t wrap her mind around why she felt so drawn to the witch sitting at the head of the room.

Headmaster McGonagall’s chair scraped against the platform as she stood, the rumble of voices quieting almost immediately. 

“Welcome, everyone, to another year at Hogwarts. Before we being the sorting, and then the feast-“

“Hear, hear!” Alexander whispered enthusiastically in Dominque’s ear, causing her to giggle.

“-I’d like to introduce the newest member of our staff, Professor Greengrass, who will be taking over Defense Against the Dark Arts and the role of Slytherin’s Head of House.”

The dark witch smiled curtly and nodded her head at the sea of students below, her eyes scanning the room briefly. Dominique felt an unexpected warmth flow through her when their gazes met across the room. Her head grew foggy and, throughout the entire sorting and feast, her mind weaved and wandered through her thoughts, lost to everything around her. She finally snapped out of it when a hand waved in front of her face, “Hello, earth to Dom!”

She blinked up at Cassandra, her best friend looking at her, puzzled, from across the table. 

“The feast is almost over and you haven’t said a word, or touched your food!”

Dominique felt a trademark Weasley blush spread across her cheeks and the back of her neck, “Yeah, erm, I’m a bit tired I suppose.”

She hastily turned her attention to the mounds of trays before her, piling food upon her plate. As she tucked in and attempted to focus her attention on her friends’ conversation, she couldn’t help her mind and eyes wandering back up to the witch at the Head Table, wondering why she felt so drawn to her. 

After the feast, Dominique, Alexander, and Molly trudged their way down to the Hufflepuff Common Room, poking fun at Cassandra as she attempted to herd the incoming first years without anyone wandering off and getting lost. 

“What’s your timetable look like, Alex?” Dominique asked. She and her friends compared schedules, swapping them back and forth between one another.  
“Ooh,” exclaimed Molly, “we all have Defense together first thing tomorrow!”

“Excellent,” remarked Alexander, as he tapped the barrel five times with his wand, which allowed them into the common room, “I’m looking forward to learning what this Greengrass woman is like.”

The three friends crawled through the barrel into the common room, claiming their favorite spot before anyone else could: three plump armchairs beneath the circular windows that showed a lovely view of the grounds: tall grass swirling in the breeze. A fourth chair sat empty, soon filled by an out-of-breath Cassandra.

“Why did I agree to be Head Girl, again?” She asked, disgruntled. The three others laughed at her, and Alexander remarked, “I think it had something to do with you be insufferably bossy.” 

Molly snorted and Cassandra rolled her eyes, tossing a pillow at Alexander. Dominique’s mind drifted again, her brown eyes gazing into the flames crackling within the lit hearth. Suddenly, almost overwhelmingly, she felt the exhaustion of the day catch up to her. Drowsily, she smiled at her friends as they bantered, happy to be back at Hogwarts, and drifted out of consciousness and into a deep sleep. 


End file.
